The paper consists in investigating the role of the Belgian dynasty in scientific development during the reign of Albert I, third King of the Belgians (1909-1934). The study deals with the action of the sovereign and the networks he formed with his entourage (the queen, the crown prince, the advisers of the court, some close relations of the King, the ministers in charge of scientific affairs) and the role of the King's House (Grand Maréchal, Civil List, Cabinet, Military Household) in the field of science, along various topics ; how these people saw the role of science in society; what influence they had in the development of science (institutions, initiatives, projects); what relationships existed between the dynasty and the scientific institutions. We would like to consider in particular the relationships between the Belgian Dynasty and the Congo were in the realm of science, through the King’s colonial policy, similarities and differences between Albert I and his predecessor Leopold II. This perspective should make it possible to assess the development and progressive implementation of an original "science policy" made by the King, especially in the Belgian Congo.

Numerous archive funds have been used to conduct this study, such as the Archives of the Royal Palace, the General State Archives, the National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS), the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) and Belgian scientific institutions. This contribution is presented as part of a doctoral thesis that began at the University of Liège in October 2011, which is devoted to the relations between Science and Dynasty since Albert I until the beginning of King Baldwin’s reign and the publication, in 1959, of the work of the "National Commission of Science" presided by Léopold III, who abdicated several years earlier.